Werner to run ’24/7 Lengthy-Haul Autonomous Freight’ lane with self-driving truck firm
Werner Enterprises and a number one self-driving truck expertise firm have partnered to determine a long-haul autonomous trucking lane.
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. and Werner introduced the partnership on Thursday, September 29.
In August, the 2 firms carried out a week-long pilot program “through which a Kodiak truck, accompanied by a human security driver always, accomplished 4 excursions involving eight distinctive journeys between Dallas and Lake Metropolis, Florida.”
Throughout the pilot, Werner had trailers prepared for a Kodiak self-driving truck to choose up at each ends of the journey. Werner truck drivers then accomplished the first-mile pickups and last-mile deliveries.
Utilizing this “truckport” mannequin, Kodiak says that it accomplished a complete of 152 hours of driving time and achieved one hundred pc on-time supply efficiency.
“Working with Kodiak permits us to effectively incorporate new applied sciences into our enterprise whereas giving us a aggressive edge,” mentioned Werner’s Senior Vice President of Van/Expedited Chad Dittberner. “We’re keen to determine the hybrid mannequin of drivers and ongoing autonomous lanes to create new and unparalleled ranges of effectivity whereas staying centered on Werner’s worth of placing security first.”
“Werner’s imaginative and prescient for incorporating autonomous vehicles into their future operations demonstrates a elementary understanding of the place autonomous expertise matches inside the trucking business,” mentioned Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak. “The Kodiak Driver is designed to do the often-undesirable freeway parts of long-haul routes, permitting drivers to deal with the deliveries that permit them sleep in their very own beds at night time. We stay up for persevering with our collaboration with Werner and introducing new everlasting lanes collectively.”
Kodiak has entered into related partnerships with different trucking firms this 12 months, together with U.S. Xpress, 10 Roads Specific and CEVA Logistics.
